Beauty Products I'm Bonkers For

Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator: This is a new favorite and a product I learned about when I got a sample in my Birchbox subscription. The full size product is around $35, but it makes my skin so soft and smooth and bright and CLEAN. It’s a gentle microdermabrasion scrub that I would not worry about using too often. It’s the bomb. ($35 is usually absurd for me…like, something has to be liquid gold for me to invest that much, so let that be an indicator of how obsessed with this stuff I am.)

Birchbox, Ipsy, or other beauty subscriptions: It’s kind of incredible how much joy you can get for $10 a month. There are several beauty subscription boxes gaining popularity. Some are good. Some are crap. Some are super expensive and weird. They sound kinda like a scam at first, but some of them are actually not bad. You fill out a survey saying what kind of look you go for, whether you like trying new things, what kind of scents you like, etc., and then you get a little box or bag each month with about 5 products based on your profile. Some of it is DOPE, some of it is okay, and some of it is great for re-gifting or saving for your next trip, as most items are sample size. I think also I just like getting things in the mail. The Birchbox for men looks pretty cool too, but it’s $20 a month, instead of $10, which makes sense, I guess, because men’s stocking stuffers are harder to find for cheap. Their box comes with fancier stuff like earbuds. Whatevs.

Urban Decay De-Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray: For when it’s gonna be a long night and you can’t count on being able to re-touch your makeup. It feels a little weird at first to spray liquid onto your face after your finish your makeup, but this stuff gets rid of shine, sets everything in place, and makes your makeup last until the next morning…if it’s one of those special occasions where you go to bed without washing your face. 

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Treatment Concealer: I’ve been using this stuff for like 8 years to hide my under eye circles and cover up other stuff I don’t like on my face. Sometimes I try something else, but I always come back to it. I don’t know. It hides stuff you don’t want, it’s not oily, it last forever, and you can get it at any drugstore. 

Retinol (whatever brand you like or prescription, if you’re lucky): Retinol (Retin A) is the onlyanti-aging product that actually makes your wrinkles fade. Real talk. All other anti-aging lotions and creams that claim to do this are really just expensive moisturizer. It’s true that staying moisturized will prevent wrinkles (they say people with oily skin will have less wrinkles later in life) but in order to reduce the lines you already have, retinol is the only ingredient that will have your back. A bunch of drugstore brands, like Neutrogena, make a pretty decent one for under 20 bucks, but the over the counter brands are pretty mild and take longer to see noticeable results.

Sally Hansen Triple Shine Nail Color: I am a HUGE advocate of the at-home manicure. I take the time twice a week, usually on Thursday and Sunday evening, to paint my nails. It’s kind of a way for me to meditate, and I genuinely believe that sitting at a desk full-time is more fun with fresh nails, as silly as that sounds. Anyway, the Triple Shine line is super shiny (duh), has a candy-ish opaque finish, and dries relatively fast. Plus, it’s only 5 bucks a bottle. Top it off with OPI’s Rapid Dry top coat, and your nails will last 5 strong days and look almost like gel nails. 

Dry shampoo (whatever brand works for you/your friend swears by.) Personally I use Batistein the medium brunette shade because the regular white kind makes my hair look dusty. Also, I’ve tried several other brands and have been really grossed out by the smell. Batiste has a mild smell, if any, and they sell it at Nordstrom now. I’m the queen of not showering - not just not washing my hair, but actually not showing - even after I work out. Dry shampoo is a must in order to pull this off. 

Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Lipcolor in Neon Red: I am a sucker for bright, tomato red. It’s feminine and professional and eye-catching. Apply fully or just tap on for a subtle red flush on your lips. It goes with almost anything and doesn’t go out of season. Side note on lipstick: I was kind of always a lipgloss person, thinking lipstick was not for me, but then I wanted a more matte, less goopy look, so I tried some lipstains. But then I wanted a little more color and something easy to apply…and I was like, Oh, umm helloooo! That’s what lipstick is and has been since the beginning of time, dummy. So now I’m all about it, of course.

Anastasia Brow Wiz pencil and Dipbrow Pomade: These are an expensive, yet totally worth it eyebrow duo. I just started “doing” my eyebrows this year, and I’m SO into it. Manicured eyebrows change your face so much. It took a lot of Youtube tutorials, and practice, and smearing, and unevenness, but my eyebrow game is pretty strong at this point. Pair these with Tweezerman tweezers, practice, practice, practice, and you’ll have a powerful, Maleficent/people-can’t-tell-what’s-different-about-you-but-but-think-you-look-fly look! I mean, you’ll wonder how you spent $60 on eyebrow products, but over time, you’ll perfect your craft and have a kit that lasts you years. And remember: your eyebrows are sisters, not twins. 

My signature scent: Smelling good has always been my thing. My smell is sweet: a combo of Britney Spears Fantasy (I think the original Fantasy may be discontinued, but I can always find it on Amazon) and Pink Sugar by Aquolina, and I usually use coconut oil as lotion. I’ve been told I smell like an angel, reminiscent of cookies. I think I wear too much sometimes and certainly may be outgrowing the sweet scent, but whatever, it’s my thing and I’m still young in a lot of ways. 

Invisalign: Obviously this is not a beauty product and it’s hella expensive, but I just finished a year of Invisalign treatment and let me just say it’s incredible how much better I feel about my appearance. Unlike putting $5000 down on a car, which will immediately depreciate in value, spending this money on my smile is something I will never regret. My teeth were not that bad before but now I smile BIG and OFTEN and that is invaluable. 

Being nice to people: Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is super cheesy and cannot be found at your local drug store, but being kind to people, empowering other women in a genuine, honest way, helping people just for the sake of helping them…this is a good look on ANYONE, believe me. Think about the nicest person you know. Can you think of any physical flaws they have? Probably not. 

PS: I don’t have nearly enough followers to get paid to say these things. These are products/tips that I actually get down with. 

Other tips: drink water, get some sleep, read some beauty blogs and Amazon reviews, eat some spinach, try some whole grains, go without makeup sometimes, get a selfie app, buy clothes that fit you, and remember: the most attractive people are healthy and kind, okay?